Election Commission team to visit Meghalaya

Shillong, February 13 (IANS): An Election Commission (EC) team led by Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat will arrive here on Thursday to take stock of the preparations for the February 27 assembly polls, an official said on Tuesday.

Rawat will be accompanied by Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavasa. The five-year term of the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will expire on March 6.

Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor said the Election Commission officials will review the poll preparedness with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police along with Divisional Commissioners.

The Commission will also hold a separate meeting with Central Armed Police Forces and Income Tax officials.

They would also hold meetings with Chief Secretary Y. Tsering and Director General of Police Swaraj Bir Singh.
The Election Commission officials will also meet leaders of political parties.

In December, a full bench of the Election Commission led by then Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti had visited Meghalaya and voiced satisfaction at the poll preparedness in the state.

The Congress, which is ruling the state for a second consecutive term, is confident of retaining power.

On the other hand, other political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has fielded 47 candidates, are also confident of unseating the ruling Congress.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi had visited the state and sought the people’s support to vote for the Congress party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the election campaign for the BJP on December 16, asked the voters to oust the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government headed by Mukul Sangma.